Nick Salazar

Nick Salazar is a first-time filmmaker, a first-generation American, and a lifelong storyteller who has survived depression, divorce, a psych ward — and somehow emerged with a camera in his hand. Drawing from the most difficult chapters of his life, he shaped those real experiences into a fictional narrative and bet everything he had to make his debut feature film.

Based in Denver, Colorado, Nick’s path into filmmaking is anything but traditional. He has worked as a lawyer, a high-end product designer, an entrepreneur, but is also a husband and a father — roles that have all sharpened his understanding of human connection, conflict, and resilience. All of these identities inform the emotional and visual sensibilities behind his work.

The Game of Life explores mental health, the elasticity of reality, and the universal need to feel seen. Determined to portray psychiatric hospitals with honesty and dignity, Nick set the film inside a psych ward to capture both the internal experience of the patient and the external, clinical perspective — an intersection he knows personally.

Nick’s lifelong struggles with depression and suicidality form the emotional backbone of the film, but they are also the source of his creative drive. Depression separates people, makes them feel alone. Filmmaking is an antidote, collaborating and connecting with a cast and crew and transforming complex technical and emotional challenges into something cinematic and human. The Game of Life is Nick's first feature — and the beginning of a career he’s determined to build for the rest of his life.

You can see more of his work at youtube.com/@nick_salazar. Below are still frames from The Game of Life.

Get in touch: nick@fzerocamera.com